MNN - Mother Nature Network

Last December, director James Cameron revealed that he was finally settled on his new 2,500-acre farm in New Zealand and ready to get to work on the scripts for the "Avatar" sequels. Well, almost. 

 

"So we're out on our farm in the Wairarapa and loving it," he told Stuff.co.nz. "Unfortunately, it's distracting because it's so beautiful. You want to go fishing and on yachts and all that sort of thing. It's going to take me a while to get these scripts nailed down exactly the way I want them."

 

Fast forward nearly three months later, and it appears that New Zealand's beautiful summertime weather continues to make an impact, with the 58-year-old telling Play Goes Strong that he's still working up to putting words to paper. 

 

"I’m working on 'Avatar 2' and ‘Avatar 3,’ he says. "I was talking the other day with Peter Jackson and said, ‘You had it easy dude. You had the books when you did the second and third ‘Lord of the Rings.’ I have to create my own books in my head and extract a script from it. I’m deep into it and I’m living in Pandora right now. There is that start up torque where you feel it’s coming to you. Then you build up momentum. That’s when it gets fun. The characters talk and it’s writing itself. I’m almost there right now. It’s building fast."

 

Besides reiterating that he requires solitude when writing, Cameron also revealed that he doesn't feel the pressure to deliver something quickly, despite worldwide anticipation for the sequels. 

 

"It's a little daunting because sequels are always tricky," he says. "You have to be surprising and stay ahead of audience anticipation. At the same time, you have to massage their feet with things that they know and love about the first film. I've walked that line in the past, so I'm not too worried about it. At the same time, I definitely have to deliver the goods … As for a release date that will be determined by when I get the script out. No pressure!" 

 

Thankfully, New Zealand's fall is coming up fast, so perhaps Cameron will have a bit more hibernation time to sit down and write. Either way, don't bet that those previously announced 2014, 2015 release dates for the sequels will hold.